Ghanaian Fairtrade pineapples from Bomarts Farms were due to arrive by sea into Europe for the first time this week.

Bomarts Farms Ltd in Nsawam is a pineapple and mango plantation and has had Fair Trade Labelling Organisation certification since 2001. But until now, the farms’ Max Havelaar branded pineapples were sent to Switzerland and France by air only. The step from air-freight to sea-shipments was made possible with Bomarts’s investment in a modern, forced-air, pre-cooling system. And the first Bomarts Max Havelaar pineapples on board M/S Polar Argentina were due to arrive at Port Vendres in France as the Journal went to press.

Fruit in the consignment was pre-cooled by forced air and loaded with a pulp temperature of 12°C directly into the reefer container. This uninterrupted cold chain from producer to European customer makes it possible to harvest the fruit later and giving it more maturity and taste.

Tony Botchway, Bomarts Farms’s general manager, believes his Fairtrade products will have a chance on the market only if high quality and regularity can be offered. “You cannot expect customers to pay a higher price for a product of lesser quality,” said Botchway. “ Moreover, the supermarkets will be interested in Fairtrade only if regular delivery and high quality can be assured. We at Bomarts go the whole length by turning the fairtradepineapples into a premium product, which even exceeds the high expectations of the retail chains.”

Max Havelaar pineapples will be arriving in Europe twice weekly at Port Vendres and Antwerp. European marketing is being co-ordinated by HPW Marketing in Aarau, Switzerland.